The present invention claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/693,593, filed Jun. 24, 2005.
This invention was made with government support under U.S. Navy Contract No. N00019-03-G-0003. The government therefore has certain rights in this invention.
The present invention relates to a rotary-wing aircraft load management system, and more particularly to a system and method that calculates an aircraft's C.G. location and/or C.G. acceptable limits so that an aircrew can predict, simulate, and verify loads and C.G. information in real time.
Vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) rotary-wing aircraft are unique in their ability to carry loads externally. Future military forces require enhanced vertical lift capabilities in a compact package. Super heavy lift (SHL) rotary-wing aircraft are generally defined as an aircraft with twice the largest payload of current helicopters. Future requirements are envisioned to be in the range of over 80,000 pounds of payload over a 400 mile range while being shipboard compatible.
To ensure effective flight operations, the location of an aircraft's center of gravity (C.G.) should be within specified limits as an aircraft's C.G. varies in response to the weights and locations of fuel and payload. Calculating an aircraft's C.G. may be a tedious manual process such that the time required to verify weights and locations, for example in a combat environment, is often unavailable.